Improvement in fire-arms



FISHER & CHAMBERLAIN.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arm;

Patented Apl. 17, 1837.

N-F'ETkRs, IKQTc-L THOGRAFNER, WASHINGTON, D C.

W|tnesses.

J4 feta-.4 Witnesses. ,4 4:04;?

NITED STATES PATENT @rrrce.

H. CHAMBERLAIN, OF BOSTON, MASS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 168, dated April 17, 1837.

To all whom it'may concern Be it known that we, the said ELIJAH FIsH- ER, of Springfield, in the county of Hampden, and DEXTER H. CHAMBERLAIN, of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Fire- Arms.

The disposition, arrangement, and use of the several parts of these improvements, the principle thereof, and mode in which we have contemplated the application of that principle or character by which it may be distinguished from other inventions, together with those parts, improvements, or combinations which we claim as our invention and discovery, we have fully set forth and described in the following specification and theannexed drawings.

A represents the barrel of the rifle or gun.

B is the breech, shaped and formed in the usual manner, or so constructed as to contain the strings and other parts of a lock to operate on a hammer, 0.

Between the barrel and the breech a transverse rectangular slot is formed through the side of the gun, in which asliding block or piece of metal, a a, is inserted. In the front edge of this piece of metal cylindrical chambers b b b are bored to contain the charges, which are to be fired whenever either of these chambers is brought in a line with the interior of the barrel.

0 c c are nipples on which the percussion-caps are placed, the same having passages comm unicating with the chambers in any desirable manner. Whenever a chamber coincides with the interior of the barrel its cap is brought into a situation to be exploded by the hammer. These nipples may be surrounded by guards, it thought necessary.

The chamber is confined in its true position with respect=to the barrel by a pin, d, in the side of the vertical.wedge-shaped slide or key D. This pin drops into a notch on the edge of the upper face of the sliding block a a.

Each chamber has a notch over it, and as the finger is placed on the button 6 the key D is raised so as to admit the block or piece a a, being slid sidcwise to bring each chamber successivel y in coincidence with the barrel. Every chamber is immediately secured in its proper position, when the finger is removed from the button, by the pin cl being pressed into the notch over the chamber by the springf.

The wedged-shaped form of the key serves to press forward the block close against the side of the slot or end of the barrel, so as to prevent windage.

Any number of chambers may be formed at pleasure in the sliding block a a, and may be fired as represented by the drawings, or by any of the known means of exploding the caps.

We claim as our invention and improvement- 1. A piece or block of metal, a a, (having any number ot'chambers therein to contain separate charges of powder, balls, and shot,) to slide inarectilinear direction through a slot or passage formed in such manner between the barre] and breech as to admit the axes of each of the chambers to be brought in succession in a right line with or to correspond to the axis of the barrel.

2. The mode of confining the piece or block of metal a aiu difierent positions by means of a pin, (1, (projecting from a sliding piece of metal, D,) and-notches formed in the edge of the face of the piece or block of metal a a.

3. Forming the key D wedge-shaped for the purpose ofpressing the block a a close against the side of the slot or end of the barrel, to preventwindage.

ELIJAH FISHER. DEXTER H. CHAMBERLAIN.

Witnesses:

THos. P. JONES, ARTHUR L. MCINTIRE. 

